Affordable housing has become one of the most contentious issues of the 21st century. With more people moving to urban centres and demanding homes consistently outpacing their supply, the gap is widened. Modular building has been touted as one of the panaceas for this crisis-cost efficiency, speed, and scalability.
Affordable housing, however, is a human challenge also rather than a financial or technical problem. Housing has to be economical but also livable, culturally sensitive, and adaptive to different needs. Modular construction, being by its nature focused on uniformity and standardization, goes counter to this. Could modular construction in itself provide for not only affordable housing but also humane and adaptable as well as culturally sensitive? The article examines the strengths, weaknesses, and prospects of modular construction in helping to solve the world’s affordable housing crisis.
Understanding Modular Construction
Modular construction involves a building method whereby modules or components of the building are prepared beforehand in an assembly plant and taken to the site for assembly. This is quite different from the more conventionally executed on-site building methods and has a range of attendant benefits.
Cost Effectiveness: Modular construction saves labour costs and minimizes waste since it relies on standardized components and a controlled factory environment (Smith, 2011).
Speed: Prefabricated modules can be constructed in parallel with site preparation, thus significantly decreasing the project timelines (Lawson et al., 2012).
Scalability: Mass production of units through modular techniques enables it to ease large-scale housing shortages (Gibb & Pendlebury, 2006).
Advantages of Affordable Housing
The value of modular construction meets these critical needs for affordable housing. There is a need in light of rapid urbanization to develop large amounts of housing rapidly. Modular construction allows this to happen: it possesses the ability to produce many units at one time within a factory setting. Modular construction has been utilized in China to build whole apartment complexes at record paces (Li et al., 2020).
Additionally, the factory-based approach ensures quality control, thus reducing errors and ensuring it is cost-effective with structural integrity (Kamar et al., 2011). All these aspects make modular construction an attractive option for governments and developers looking to address housing shortages cost-effectively.
Challenges of Modular Construction
While modular construction offers clear advantages, it also poses significant challenges, especially when applied to affordable housing.
- Not very adaptable
A major criticism of modular construction is its rigidity. Prefabricated modules tend to rely on a “one-size-fits-all” approach that fails to suit the various needs of the occupants (Slaughter, 1998). It means housing felt to be impersonal and not reflecting the various social and cultural identities of its residents.
- Homogeneity and Aesthetics
Such efficiency over aesthetics often manifests as homogenous and monotonic designs in modular housing. Such homogeneity may diminish the sense of identity and belonging that housing is supposed to provide (Salama, 2006). Modular housing projects have sometimes been criticized for looking like “warehouses for people” rather than homes (Hwang et al., 2018).
- Social and Psychological Effects
Standardized housing designs may also have unforeseen social and psychological implications. Poor housing design has been associated with residents’ feelings of isolation and stress, concluded studies by Evans et al. (2003). Unless modular housing was designed based on human needs, there is a threat of as many more similar problems repeating themselves.
Case Studies: Modular Construction in Affordable Housing
Success Stories
- B2 Modular Tower, New York City
B2 Tower: 32-story modular apartment, completed in 2016, in Brooklyn. This building was a good example of how modular construction can be combined with urban affordable housing by saving on costs and reducing construction time (Kamali & Hewage, 2016).
- BoKlok Housing, Sweden
BoKlok is a collaboration between IKEA and Skanska, which allows the citizens affordable yet nice modular homes. It involves the residents in the design stage so that the social and psychological barriers with the usual modular houses are diminished at some point (BoKlok, 2021).
Lessons from Failures
- Pruitt-Igoe, St. Louis
Although not strictly modular, the Pruitt-Igoe housing project is an example of the dangers of making efficiency a priority over livability. Its failure speaks to the need for housing design that fulfils the social and cultural needs of its inhabitants (Bristol, 1991).
- Modular Housing in Post-Earthquake Haiti
Modular housing was used to some effect following the Haitian earthquake in 2010, although the result was mostly units abandoned due to cultural insensitivity and lack of adaptation (Charlesworth, 2014).
Humane and Adaptive Modular Housing Solutions
- Flexibility
The flexible side that can be applied to counter rigidity in modular designs is the application of flexibility in architecture and development. For example, sliding walls and modular furniture will give residents the liberty to change their space of living according to their requirements (Habraken, 1972).
- Participatory Design
Involving residents in the design process for modular houses assures the result of the design will reflect the cultural and social identities of its future residents. Participative design, for example, enhances resident satisfaction and strengthens the sense of community (Sanoff, 2000).
- Technological Innovations
Advancements in digital fabrication and 3D printing make modular construction a new possibility for the construction sector. It makes modules more varied and customized compared with traditional prefabrication, overcoming some of the aesthetic and functional limitations of the use of prefabrication (Khoshnevis, 2004).
A Way Forward
- Policy Recommendations
Governments can do much to promote humane modular housing by encouraging:
- Incentives to developers to imbue adaptive and flexible designs.
- Establishing design guidelines on aspects of livability and cultural sensitivity.
- Funding research in innovative modular construction techniques.
To achieve affordable and humane housing, a new set of trade-offs must be made. On efficiency and cost reduction alone, things won’t be enough; the modules developed must also seriously consider the social and psychological dimensions of shelter. Housing spaces that encourage community, individuation, and well-being can now be fashioned.
Modular construction holds great promise as a solution to the global affordable housing crisis. Its speed, cost efficiency, and scalability make it very attractive as a solution to the existing housing shortages. However, in the absence of considered attention to human needs, modular housing risks becoming inhumane and impersonal.
Modular construction is ripe for further development to ensure flexibility, cultural awareness, and resident involvement to realize its full potential. With this thought in mind, architects, developers, and policymakers can develop modular housing that overcomes the housing crisis while enhancing the quality of life for residents through balanced affordability and humanity.
References:
BoKlok. (2021). BoKlok housing solutions: Affordable and sustainable living. Retrieved from https://boklok.com
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Charlesworth, E. (2014). Humanitarian architecture: 15 stories of architects working after disaster. Routledge.
Evans, G. W., Wells, N. M., & Moch, A. (2003). Housing and mental health: A review of the evidence and a methodological and conceptual critique. Journal of Social Issues, 59(3), 475-500.
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Habraken, N. J. (1972). Supports: An alternative to mass housing. Architectural Press.
Hwang, B.-G., Shan, M., & Looi, K. Y. (2018). Key constraints and mitigation strategies for prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183, 183-193.
Kamali, M., & Hewage, K. (2016). Life cycle performance of modular buildings: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 62, 1171-1183.
Kamar, K. A. M., Alshawi, M., & Hamid, Z. A. (2011). Barriers to industrialized building systems: The case of Malaysia. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 7(1), 3-10.
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Lawson, M., Ogden, R., & Goodier, C. (2012). Design in modular construction. CRC Press.
Li, Z., Shen, G. Q., & Alshawi, M. (2020). Prefabricated housing and the housing market: A literature review. Sustainability, 12(9), 1-21.
Salama, A. M. (2006). A theory for integrating knowledge in architectural design education. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 1(1), 100-113.
Sanoff, H. (2000). Community participation methods in design and planning. Wiley.
Slaughter, E. S. (1998). Models of construction innovation. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 124(3), 226-231. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1998)124:3(226)
Image1: New Delhi planned by the British @ Nangia Ashish 2005
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